


The Mark Down

by LillyRose



Category: Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Genre: Carmela being Carmela, Female Friendship, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Original Character(s), Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 06:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8879197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillyRose/pseuds/LillyRose
Summary: Carmela looked at Nita. “Please tell me it isn’t another invasion,” she said. The tone of her voice put the question somewhere between a joke and a serious concern.
“The good news? Not even close.” Nita glanced in the direction of the shouting. “The bad news? Bobo thinks we may have inadvertently caused a minor interstellar incident.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tptigger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, tptigger! I hope you have as much fun reading this story as I had writing this story.
> 
> With many thanks to my beta, NIghtsMistress. They're amazing. Any mistakes you may see are entirely my own.

**_The Mark Down_ **

 

 

Two young Terran women reached for the same dress at the same time. The seller watching them from behind another rack went tense.

“I like the way you think,” said one woman to the other.

The other woman smiled and took her hand off the hanger, “Good,” she said, “because I’m pretty sure that this dress will look amazing on you.”

“I knew we were besties for a reason,” said the one. She took the dress off the hanger and draped it over her arm.

The young women headed towards the dressing rooms. Once they were out of sight, the seller allowed itself a small sigh of relief. A few of the species who frequented its store could be highly argumentative- especially where clothing was concerned. Physical altercations over choice items were not uncommon. And another brawl during its shift was the last thing it needed on its record.

The feeling of relief lasted as long as it took the seller to return to its kiosk. There it discovered not one but three golden lights lit up on the console. Two of the Very Important Person alerts belonged to the young women currently in the dressing rooms. The remaining alert belonged to a temperamental young woman who would not be pleased with the events unfolding in said dressing rooms.

The seller closed it eyes and prayed for hope and guidance.

 

Arms folded across her chest and her back resting against an empty dressing room door, Nita Callahan laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Carmela Rodriguez called from behind the door of the next dressing room over.

“Kit’s favorite blue food vendor,” Nita said, “is a big fan of Christmas. She’s dyed her Terran safe food red and green for the holidays.”

"How does she know what Christmas even is?" Carmela asked.

"Humans are good at spreading holiday commercialism across their own planet," Nita answered. "When wizards started going _off_ planet, it was inevitable that they'd bring some of it with them." Nita shook her head. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"The food vendor's making money," Carmela said. "I can't blame her for that. Back to the subject, what's Kit's problem? Blue or green, the food still tastes the same."

Nita shook her head, smiling despite herself. “Not according to Kit it doesn’t,” she said. Another moment passed, then Nita laughed again. “Ronan says it does and that Kit’s just mad because red and green doesn’t match Kit’s aesthetic.”

Carmela snickered behind the dressing room door. “Aesthetic,” she repeated with glee. “I knew that boy paid more attention in that marketing class than he said he did.”

“They want to know when we’ll be done.”

“Right now,” Carmela said, “because this dress is _it_.”

Carmela threw open the dressing room door. She walked out of the dressing room and stood in front of Nita. Nita looked her up and down. She made a gesture for Carmela to turn around in a circle. Carmela made a slow turn as Nita took in the fit of the dress from every angle.

“Do you remember when we went shopping for my dress for Homecoming?” Nita asked. “When you sat down in the middle of the dressing room and said you wouldn’t move until I bought that purple dress?”

“You thanked me for that later!”

Nita spoke over Carmela. “This is me, doing that you. Right now,” she said.

Carmela squealed and hugged Nita. “No need for that level of intervention,” she said, “this dress is _mine_.” Carmela scooped up her bright pink purse off of a near-by chair. She unzipped it with one hand; her free hand pulled a slim, silver card from one of the inner pockets.

“The Crossings offers credit cards?” Nita asked.

“They do,” Carmela replied. “This isn’t one of them. This is something better, it’s a freebie card. I borrow this dress for our networking party and return it the next day.  I get a free dress for the night, the seller gets free publicity. It’s a win-win.”

Carmela looked upward. “Payment please,” she said.

A narrow slot appeared on the wall beside Carmela. It was at eye level for an average sized humanoid. Carmela slid the card into the slot and the slot disappeared back into the wall.  The slot reappeared in the wall. The card popped out. The walls of the dressing room lit up in a golden glow…

…as outside of the dressing rooms a voice roared in protest,

Carmela looked at Nita. “Please tell me it isn’t another invasion,” she said. The tone of her voice put the question somewhere between a joke and a serious concern.

“The good news? Not even close.” Nita glanced in the direction of the shouting. “The bad news? Bobo thinks we may have inadvertently caused a minor interstellar incident.”

Carmela hand waved the concern away. “Minor,” she scoffed. “Please.” She quickly changed back into her clothes. “Hook please,” she said. A silver hook emerged from the wall. She carefully hung the dress up, then turned back to Nita.

“Let’s go deal with our _minor_ interstellar incident.”

 

A small crowd stood in the middle of the sales floor. In the center of it stood a girl who looked to be about Carmela's age and physical size. Her silver skin and dark hair set off the sharp curves of her face to startling effect.  Several large, muscular men wearing matching armor and threatening scowls clustered around her in a protective formation. The seller stood outside the circle, a blank expression on its face.

Nita and Carmela hung back at the door to the dressing room, assessing the situation from a safe distance. “I recognize the look on that girl’s face,” Nita said. “Indifference and irritation at the same time. She’s royalty.”

“Really, really powerful royalty,” Carmela said. “Her official title is Astancion, High Empress of The Astanciana Empire.” Carmela made a face, “I call her _She Who Is Impossible To Shop For_.”

“That’s not good, coming from you,” Nita said. “That must be why the seller looks so scared.”

“The seller is probably terrified,” Carmela agreed. “The High Empress could ruin the seller’s business with the snap of her well-manicured fingers.”

“Well-manicured?”

“Obviously.”

One of the men looked in the girls’ direction. He leaned over to the High Empress and said a few words.  The girl glanced towards Nita and Carmela. Her expression changed instantly, from an annoyed frown to a smile of satisfaction. She indicated that Carmela should approach her immediately.

“Why should I go over there again?” Carmela asked.

“Minor interstellar incident,” Nita reminded her.

Carmela huffed in annoyance. “Fine,” she said. “Be prepared to hear some very flowery Speech. And follow my lead.”

Carmela and Nita crossed the floor to the High Empress and her retinue. The High Empress watched them come. She waved a hand towards her guards, who broke ranks long enough to allow both young women inside the circle. As soon as Carmela stood within speaking distance of the High Empress, she dropped into a low curtsey and rose again in one smooth gesture. Nita did the same.  

“Lady Carmela,” the High Empress said, “had I but known you were on the schedule, I would have requested your services. As I believed you were not available I was forced to waste three hours in the solitary and fruitless pursuit of my important goal.”

“My apologies, my High Empress,” Carmela said. “This woman,” she said, making a gesture in Nita’s direction, "made a prior appointment many months ago."

"And who is she," the High Empress said with a sniff of disdain.

 “My High Empress,” Carmela said, “if it pleases you, may I present my friend and associate the Lady Nita Callahan.

The High Empress looked at Nita with new interest. “The human oracular?” she said sharply.

Nita flushed with embarrassment. “That’s me.”

“Then tell me if I shall meet with success today.”

“My High Empress,” Nita said. “I regret that my…ability…is not as specific as I might wish.” The High Empress frowned. The guards stepped in closer. “Fortunately I have no need of it because I am certain that, with Lady Carmela’s help, you will find what you need.”

“Ummm Nita,” Carmela said softly, for Nita’s ears only. “Did you just whammy me? One of those _it’s not true right now but it will be later_ things?”

Nita said nothing in reply. She simply smiled.

The High Empress turned her back on Nita. “I wasted three hours in this establishment, seeking a dress suitable for my need she said to Carmela. “If you recall, I am…discerning… about my clothing.”

A small smile twisted Carmela’s mouth. “Quite discerning,” she said.

“I discovered a dress which was nearly perfect, yet not quite perfect enough,” the High Empress continued. “I went elsewhere. After hours spent searching and finding nothing, I came to a conclusion. The dress I’d left behind was the only dress to come close to meeting the exacting standards of myself and my people. I returned here to purchase the dress, only to be told by this _creature_ that the gown was no longer available.”

Carmela nodded. “Okay.” She looked at the seller. “What’s your side of the story?”

The High Empress made a noise of impatience. “Lady Carmela,” she said,” I have told you the problem. Why ask further questions?”

“To solve your problem, my High Empress, I need to hear all of the story,” Carmela said. She turned her attention back to the seller. “Go ahead.”

“Both of your pardons,” the seller said looking back and forth between Carmela and the High Empress. “The High Empress came into our store seeking a dress. We carry several high quality, unique pieces that I believed would highlight the High Empress’ exceptional beauty. The High Empress tried on several dresses yet was unable to find a dress suited to her tastes.  She left the store without making a purchase.”

“As I said earlier,” the High Empress said. “I’ve changed my mind. I’ve returned to claim my dress.” She stabbed a finger in the seller’s direction. “Cease your useless chatter and bring it to me. At discount, for all of this inconvenience,”

Nita nudged Carmela’s elbow to get her attention. Carmela leaned back to hear her over the sound of the High Empress' voice rising in both pitch and volume. The seller's quiet attempts to pacify her with various perks did nothing to ease her temper.

“Is she talking about the dress I really, _really_ hope she isn’t talking about?” Nita asked.

“Knowing my luck, yes,” Carmela replied. She stepped away from Nita and towards the High Empress. “My High Empress,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the girl’s shouting. “I believe I know the answer to your problem. May I step away for a moment?”

The High Empress stopped mid-argument. “If you must,” she snapped.

Carmela walked back to the dressing room. A moment later she returned with her borrowed dress over her arm.  She shook it out, the dress unfolding in graceful folds to the floor.

The High Empress smiled in triumph. “I knew it would be you to solve my problem,” she said to Carmela. She reached out both hands towards the dress. When Carmela didn’t immediately hand over the dress, the High Empress frowned. She flexed her fingers in a universal gesture of demand.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you the dress,” Carmela said with real regret. “I just borrowed this dress to wear to a networking party.”

The High Empress stared hard at Carmela. “Then I suggest you unborrow the dress,” she said, each of her words sharp with command.

“No,” the seller spoke over her in panic, “you can’t! My business will be ruined!”

“I’m afraid that’s beyond even my considerable powers,” Carmela told the High Empress. Nita snorted in amusement-quietly. Carmela subtly elbowed her in the side. “I’m afraid I can’t break my contract with the seller, under penalty of interstellar law.”

“I know of no such law,” the High Empress said.

“I’m certain you do,” Carmela said. Her tone was still sympathetic but had taken on a firmer edge. “I’m certain that a learned woman such as yourself is aware of the Saraii Accords. They state that a dress borrowed for any special occasion may not be coerced from, bought from, or forcibly seized from the borrower.”

“There are laws about clothing?” Nita murmured in disbelief.

“What have I told you, ‘Neets?” Carmela whispered back. “Fashion _is_ literally life or death.”

The High Empress snapped her fingers three times in quick succession. Her guards reformed around her in a threatening pose. The High Empress looked back at Carmela, a cold smile on her face.

“Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear enough,” the High Empress said. “I _will_ have that dress or there _will_ be consequences."

Until that point, Nita seemed content with letting Carmela handle the situation. With the implied threat against a friend, and by extension their shared home planet, she'd obviously had enough of standing on the sidelines. She stepped forward, placing herself between Carmela and the High Empress. Carmela gave her a questioning look. Nita smiled back at her in reassurance. She turned her attention to the High Empress.

"My High Empress," Nita said. "Obviously, you've heard of my oracular abilities. But I wonder if you've heard anything else about me?"

"And why would I?"

"Because if you had," Nita continued, "you'd know that I've been preparing my own protective wizardries the entire time you've been harassing that poor seller." She paused then drove her point home. "You might have heard about the Callahan Unfavorable Instigation?"

The High Empress glared at Nita. Nita held her gaze, waiting for the other girl to say something.

The sensor over the door went off. A much smaller seller rushed through the door. It chittered a steady stream of apologies and excuses for being late to work. It kept up the flow of one sided conversation for several minutes before recognizing the problem unfolding on the sales floor.  Then it stopped speaking and stared in confusion at the situation.

Along with everyone else, Carmela looked at the new arrival. She saw what it held in its hand. She smiled.

“Don’t worry,” she said to Nita. “I’ve got this. Hold this.” She shoved the bundle of cloth into Nita’s arms. Ignoring the High Empress and her threats, she walked over to the seller.

“Is that an Edgbu fizz?” she asked the smaller seller. The seller nodded. “I’m so thirsty from all this shopping. May I have it please?” The seller handed the drink to Carmela without a moment’s hesitation.

“That’s what I love about this store,” Carmela said, as she walked back to the group, “they’re so-ommph!”

Carmela’s foot slipped on the smooth tile. She skidded across the floor, straight in Nita’s direction. Just before crashing into her friend, Carmela regained her balance. The contents of her borrowed cup spilled into the air, splashing back down again across the dress in Nita’s hands.

“Are you alright ‘Mela?”

“I’ll be deducting the cost of the dress from your account!”

“Seize them all!”

“WAIT!”

Everyone stopped in place and looked at the High Empress. She pointed towards the soggy bundle in Nita’s hands. She looked disgusted. “Is that dress…”She swallowed down hard on her words, “…is that dress _staining_?”

The seller spoke up. “My High Empress,” it said, “when you tried on the gown, I told you that it was capable of holding a stain.”

The High Empress made a face of disgust. “I do not recall such a discussion taking place,” she said. She held out a hand forestalling the seller’s protests. “Regardless, the dress is completely unsuitable. I should have trusted in my initial impression of the quality of your merchandise. I will not waste time in this establishment in the future.” She snapped an order to her guards. The men formed a pattern around her, with the High Empress at the head of the formation and a guard on either side of her.

"My High Empress," Carmela said. "In the spirit of cooperation and harmony between our two very fashion conscious species, I would like to offer my services to you, free of charge. Between the two of us I'm certain we can find a dress worthy of the High Empress of the Astanciana Empire."

"I accept your gracious offer," the High Empress said. "I too can be gracious. I leave it to you to set the time of our meeting. Leave a note with my head maid." She considered Carmela for a moment. "Your reputation is well earned," she said.

She looked over to Nita. "As is yours," she added. Then, without another word, the High Empress and her guards walked out of the store.

 

Nita watched the High Empress leave, then turned to look at Carmela in disbelief.

_“Seriously_?” Nita said.

“Some species take couture seriously,” Carmela said. A sly smile crossed her face. “Some of them take it so seriously that they won’t wear a piece of clothing that might stain. It’s believed that a dress stained during a state occasion implies impending disaster to the realm.”

“So you did trip on purpose,” Nita said.

“As if I would ever be anything less than graceful.”

The seller nervously cleared its throat. “Excuse me,” it said. “I thank you, Carmela, for your quick thinking. However, a ruined dress cannot be returned. I must insist the cost of the dress be deducted from your account.”

Carmela took the damp dress from Nita. “What if I told you that I could have this dress as good as new and back in your hands in seven days?” she asked the seller.

The seller shook its head.” Impossible.”

“Totally possible,” Carmela said. “I know this drycleaner on Carris V that can get _any_ thing out of any _thing_. On top of that, the owner owes me a favor. Trust me, I’m good for this.”

The seller didn’t hesitate. “Then I would be happy to allow our previous arrangement to stand.”

Carmela’s Apple watch beeped. She glanced down at it. “45 minutes until I’m late getting home,” she said to Nita. “Again. Ask the others if they’re ready to go.”

Nita nodded. “They are,” she said.  Then her eyes went wide and she exhaled in exasperation. “There is no way that Dad will let Dairine keep _that_ in the house,” she said.

“I don’t want to know,” Carmela said. “Plausible deniability is my byword when it comes to your sister.” She looked back at the seller. “The arrangement stands,” she said. “See you in seven days.”

 

The seller watched the Terran young women leave. When they were gone, it turned its attention to the other seller.

“What have I told you about having drinks in the store?” it asked the smaller seller.

“Never have drinks in the store,” the smaller seller said.

It looked down at the floor, standing ready to receive its reprimand. The seller considered it for a moment. It walked back to its kiosk and hit a silver button on the underside of the keyboard. A gold token popped into the seller’s hand. The seller crossed to the smaller seller and pressed the token into its hand.

“Go get another Edgbu fizz,” the seller said, “and bring me one too. Add a shot of hytrv to each one as well- it’s the holiday shopping season so the goddesses know we need it.”

The smaller seller sputtered in confusion. “And my reprimand?” it managed after a moment.

“Will not occur if you return in a timely manner with those fizzes,” the seller replied.

The smaller seller was out the door before the seller finished its sentence. The seller settled behind its kiosk with a contented sigh. A VIP was set to wear one of its designs to an important party. The resale value of that dress alone would keep the store profitable for the next three cycles. The High Empress would never return to the store and her absence would ensure an influx of new customers. And last but not least, there would be no reprimand on anyone’s record.

The seller pulled up the files it’d been working on before this incident occurred. It found itself humming the same song the Terran woman was singing, very loudly, in the dressing rooms earlier.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, indeed.

 

_fin_

 


End file.
